Amid criticism, Malacañang announced on Wednesday the postponement of the scheduled signing of the 2025 General Appropriations Act (GAA) originally set for Friday, December 20.
In a statement, Executive Secretary Lucas P. Bersamin said the delay was to allow for a “rigorous and exhaustive review” of the budget measure.
“The ongoing assessment is being led by the President himself, in consultation with the heads of major departments,” Bersamin said.
While a new signing date has yet to be announced, the Executive Secretary confirmed that certain items and provisions of the national budget bill would be vetoed.
The veto, Bersamin said, would be in the “interest of public welfare, to conform with the fiscal program, and in compliance with laws.”
The postponement comes amid mounting concerns over the bicameral version of the national budget, which critics claim prioritizes unprogrammed funds at the expense of critical social programs.
One of the most vocal critics, Senator Risa Hontiveros, explained her “No” vote on the Bicameral Conference Committee Report for the 2025 General Appropriations Bill (GAB).
In her privilege speech Monday (Dec. 16), Hontiveros cited drastic cuts to essential programs such as health, education, and social protection.
“I voted ‘Yes’ to the Senate version of the 2025 national budget because I was confident that this budget would provide sufficient funding for our most critical and life-saving programs. However, the bicam version of the national budget is deeply concerning because it drastically reduces funding for essential sectors like public health and education,” Hontiveros said.
One of the most alarming changes, she noted, was the “zero state subsidy” for PhilHealth in 2025.
Hontiveros described this move as inconsistent with current laws, particularly the Universal Health Care Act and the Sin Tax Reform Act, which mandate annual premium subsidies for indirect contributors and allocations for the National Health Insurance Program.
“Instead of abandoning our responsibility to millions of indirect contributors – including poor families, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, and other vulnerable individuals – we should focus on replacing the incompetent management,” she said.
Hontiveros further warned that eliminating the subsidy could force PhilHealth to operate at a net loss, compromising its ability to deliver benefits and financial protection to millions of Filipinos.
The senator also expressed concern over massive budget cuts to health and education programs, including a P37.59 billion reduction to the Department of Health’s (DOH) budget and significant losses for the Department of Education (P15.17 billion) and the Commission on Higher Education (P11.77 billion). She underscored the gravity of these cuts amid an ongoing learning crisis and a post-pandemic recovery period.
Similarly, the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) saw a P50 billion reduction, while 41 foreign-assisted projects were delisted, defunded, and relegated to the unprogrammed funds category without transparency.
“It’s incredibly ironic that while slashing funding for essential programs like health, social protection, and education, the bicam version simultaneously expands unprogrammed funds to P531.6 billion, higher by P373 billion compared to the NEP [National Expenditure Program]. This raises serious questions about the purpose of these unprogrammed funds and their potential for misuse,” Hontiveros added.
The senator concluded her explanation of her vote by stressing that the bicam version of the 2025 GAB reflects “misplaced priorities at the expense of our people’s health and our children’s education.”
“For these reasons, I cannot, in good conscience, vote to ratify this version of our national budget,” she said.
